Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Well it's been just over 5 weeks since I broke my leg. My Fibula, which is part of the ankle... it was a spiral break and I have to say I have never felt pain like it before!! I was on a swing and put my foot down to stop the swing and my foot got stuck in a grate, so my foot stayed in one place and that swing kept going with me in it! OUCH... I saw black. I immediately felt sick to my stomach, I thought for sure I would throw up everywhere! I was with my boyfriend in London, England, and we were playing around after walking Regents Canal. After a trip to the Emergency Room and discovering I was very correct, they sent me on my way to get a cast in a few days... oh the pain. My partner lives on the second floor of his building, so here I am with a freshly broken bone, with every movement causing extreme pain and I have to go UP the stairs on my butt as I was ordered to do by my Nurse, so I'm going up on my butt... and pulling myself up as well, it was then for the first time in my life that I realized just how weak I actually am. I didn't have the strength to pull myself up, I realized how over weight I was, and I wanted to break down in tears with every step... THEN once up the stairs there was a long walk way with individual stairs of 2 dropping down onto the path, like what the heck are those doing there? Do you understand how 2 stairs can look like a Mountain? A HUGE mountain? I pulled, I dragged, and I scooted myself into the flat... The only bathroom in my partners flat is up another flight of stairs which I could not bear. So I often peed in a big cup ... that's so bad right? But the pain is extreme when you break a bone, more than I thought it would ever be. If I just barely moved a toe on my right foot I would scream in pain... try having a good stretch first thing in the morning without moving one whole leg!! I did have to eventually pull myself up the stairs in the flat though, after all not everything can be done in a cup! I got pretty good at the stairs after awhile, I could get up them fast on my knees and come back down on my butt. That of course wasn't until after the pain had subsided, which took exactly 3 weeks and 3 days. I had my temporary cast removed and a permanent one put on after 4 days and though it was easier to get around with the cast, it was still painful. I even called the hospital after 2 weeks complaining that my break still hurt and asked when I could expect it to feel better!! Since I was in England at the time they probably just thought I was just a crazy and whiny yank! I'm lucky that I have a partner that waited on me hand and foot, the only thing I needed to do was get to the bathroom and keep myself clean! My partner did everything for me, I really am blessed to have him. I stayed an extra 3 weeks in England to heal up so I could handle the trip back across the Atlantic to Texas. Before I left England I was told I would need a cast on for 4-8 more weeks, they also split my cast and sent me on my way, I was told to visit the ER as soon as I got off of the plane to have my split cast removed. Well I did just that when I landed and because my leg was so swollen from flying I was put in a temporary cast instead of another hard permanent one. However today I saw an orthopedic surgeon and I was put n a boot, it's been 5 weeks and 3 days since my break and I'm feeling pretty good, I was told I can start doing some exercises to get some movement back in my foot, and eventually in the next couple of weeks I can start putting weight on my leg. Yay! If it hurts I don't stand or try to walk on it, but if I can, I will. But I'm too chicken right now. Way too chicken, since flying and having my cast taken off I have had a bit of pain in the break area again. So I'm babying my leg again!! I will never again take walking for granted, I will never again see someone in a wheel chair without feeling their pain. Few things in life can compare to the freedom of being on two feet!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Alas, a broken ankle. It's a good thing I went to see "my" Tower Bridge early during my trip, I usually go last before returning home, but because London is NOT a wheelchair or crutches friendly city I'm so grateful I went early on!!

While on vacation in London I thought this swing looked like a good idea... However while swinging I put my foot down to stop myself & I got my toe caught in one of the grates!! O-U-C-H!! My foot stayed in the grate and the swing kept going! I have never felt so much pain, black went before my eyes and I thought I would throw up... Horrible!